Method of continuously producing latex foam



Oct. 8, 1957 A, w. KEEN 2,809,172

METHOD OF' CONTINUOUSLY PRODUCING LATEX FOAM Original Filed June 8, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IMEI/EY' Oct. 8, 1957. A. w. KEEN METHOD oF coNTNuousLY PRoDucING LATEX FOAM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed June 8, 1950 car' .ffm/ak @Maf/e 'ATTRNEY United States Patent 2,809,172 l METHOD F CON'TINUOILJSIZYPRO'UCG LATEX FOAM Alexis W. Keen, Packanack Lake, J2, assignor` to'j United States Rubber Company',.New York; Y., a corporatioirof New' Jersey Original application. June 8, 1950, Serialj No. 166,871. Diviiledamli this application ugust 13', 19525 Serial No. 301,198

rlhis invention relates tof a methodi of. making. foam rubber from natural or synthetic rubber latex, so that the` foam: nubberi or sponge' rubber thus" produced will: be highly uniform as to bubble size and density.

The present application: is a. division of my application Serial No.. 166,871, filed June 8,. 1950, now U. S. Patent 2,673,723, granted March 20,-v 1795'41 l't is wellknown that foam rubber articles may be made by compounding, naturalY or synthetic rubber latexy with certain ingredients, such as vulcanizi'ng. agents, accelerators, gelling agents and stabilizers, andil then whipping the latex into a foam depositing theV foam in. a mold, allowing; the foam. to gel by permitting it to rest. at room temperature or shortening. the gelling-tiine by heat,- and finally vulcanizing the foam rubber to form the. molded sponge rubber article.

Foam rubber when. .prepared byV Whipping thelatex into a foam-.has anonsuniformY cellular structure, sincebubbles of..various..siyzes are. produced by the air.- introduced.. into theA latex duringV the whippingoperation,v andi the cell structure isdestroyedtorsome extent by. the mechanical Working; of the. latex. after. the gelling agent has been added'. Thisy mechanicalh Working. a-lso produces uneven coagulationintheflatex which causesthe resulting sponge to have a structure `composed of rubber crumbs held t0- gether by tine bers... Such af crumb structurefis-Weak and contains more.v rubber than -is necessary.-

These difficulties experienced: heretofore in: themanufacture*of'foamtrubber fromi latere are? avoided bythe present invention, anda foam rubber is produced VVwhich is highly uniform. in densityand'V as tof thesize? of. its bubbles;v This isv accomplished bymixingfsoap-frothawith latexin'. a closed container so asI tot intimately commingle the soap froth with the latex. More particularly; this is `accomplished bypreparing ai soap-froth that is composed of bubbleshaving. substantially the saine size; and byv ad; mixing, latex with it: int suchfa mannerv that the bubbles of the soapy frothl arex evenly coated with. the latein and'r the even= cellular. strueturez of the soapfroth is: maintained..

Further, by employingthe present invention; a=continuousf'st-reamiined flowofthe foam. rubber i'sy secured.. and all ingredients employedr to produce. the foam` rubber are accurately metered and-advancedl in a continuous'pressure stream` through the closed foam producing equipment. This givesv accurate control of all. materials thatfortn the foam.

Incarrying outthe present inventionv natural orsyntlietic rubber may beused and various frothing liquids may be-used, e. g. a soap solution. The invention makes possible the accurate control of the amount of soap= solution,` air or other gas, latex and other' materials used to producetherlatex.foam.` In order to add to the clearness oft this disclosure it is desiredl to point out thatl froth `as herein used means soap or similar froth; foam means latex. foam. beforel and after it has set or gelled; and sponge means thevulcanizedsponge rubber. Furthermore the: term measure is tobe construed broadly as covering, measuring, metering or Weighing. the materials thattare. supplied to the foamforming apparatus.'-

27,809,172 vPatented Oct. 8, 1957 important feature of the presentinventioni consists ofl the stepsof introducing.4v a: soap solution and a gas, such as air, into theclosed receptacle' so as to forma soap froth that lills the receptacle and-is forced therefrom under pressure in a uniform stream. A measured amount of latex is then intimately comming'led withithis' stream of soap' frothV in such:` a manner that the bubbles of the froth are` evenly coated! with` thel latex.

Another important` feature' of the presentV invention residesini shearingv meansu which act upon the stream of soap froth to shear' the' same and thereby reduce the sizeof the soap bubbles and produce a froth of uniform cellular structure. The uniform bubble size may be' as large or small as desired, depending upon the amount of shearing to which the froth is subjected.V

A further feature of the present invention consists'` in supplyingv to the stream' of soap froth a. metered amount off latex; to which` a'` gelling'agent has' been added, so as to' cau'se the latexA to come' into' intimate Contact with the froth and formi av gelable latex foam, and then delivering this foam in` a fewA seconds to the mold where it will set quickly in the desired shape.

One important advantage securedl by employing the method of the' present invention is that by performing the various operations in a' unitv that is entirely enclosed, sufficient pressure may beused to' eje'ct the` latex foam fromthe' receptacle' in. a continuous stream, and to deliver i-t'into a'l closed vulcanizin'gV mold; Thi's'procedure eliminates the large amount' of scrap that usually accumulates as overflow whilethe mold is? being filled from amixing vessel.V The mold' als'olls outbetter'whenl a pressure feed i'sl used,4 as the foanr pushesk thel air out through: the mold vents and prevents th'e formation: ofv low spots or voids which' frequently occur inthe remote vp'ortionslof the mold-L Furthermore the latex foam produced by the present method is highly uniform and therefore ows. well into various; portions of the mold.

The presenti apparatuscan beV commercially' operated Without' becomin'gfouled by coagulation of'theilateX- compound on the machine parts.. This is due to the fact'tha't alli air' jets and most moving'parts arelocated -in thesoap solution: andtherefore4 are" freey fromany accumulationof latex; Furthermore the p'art'sover which the latex compound does pass are smoothfand streamlined andi designed ro give. the foam a velocity sufficient to cause all surfaces to'. be scoured continuously with; freshA compound and thereby to prevent fouling:

The density and bubble size of` the latex foam produced in accordance with the present invention are highly unil form,v largely because all the ingredients that' formi the foam. are meteredf and? mixed 4uniformly and `'continuously ina clcl sedfsystem.` Nof'loss of' ga's'e's' -or volatile' matters can take place. The variability in cell size of foam'ma'de in. an openl beater, which isf a common source of trouble, is therebyl avoided in the presentinvention.

The froth structure is under' control' atall times; The original soap froth is 'controlled asto bubble size, bythe size of the hollow needles used' toinjectiair into" the soap solution. Furthermore reduction` of the bubblesV of the soap frothY to: the" ydesired neness is controlled by the amount of shearing to which they arev subjected in the Shearer.

The mechanical operations employed in mixing the latex, to-Which a gelling agent has been added, with the soap froth arereduced toA a minimum' by the present procedure. This is hifhly desirable since excessive mechani cal WorkingiofV the latex after'the. gelling' agenthas been added Vproduces a latexicoagulum havingaA crumb' structure tied together with line bersof .low strength;

Furthermore'theapparatus is so'designed' that the" latex is rapidly intermixed with the soap'fr'oth', and-remains in the apparatus only a short time. This rapid intermixing 3 and removal of the latex is especially advantageous as it further insures against coagulation in the apparatus.

The pressure throughout the apparatus is preferably maintained above atmospheric,'with the Ygreatest pressure in the frothing chamber, and a gradually diminishing pressure in the successive stages of the process until, at the exit of the apparatus, the pressure on the foam becomes equal to atmospheric.

The above-atmospheric pressure is obtained in the apparatus by creating a resistance to flow in the various stages of the process while keeping the pressure at which the air enters the frothing chamber constant. For example, the pressure in the frothing chamber will be equal to the back pressure resulting from the restricted passage of the froth through the Shearer. The pressure in the apparatus may of course be varied by adjusting the clearances in the froth and latex foam passage. By maintaining the pressure in the apparatus above atmospheric the froth and foam are forced therethrough in a smooth and continuous manner. Furthermore it is possible to produce very low density foam due to the expansion of the froth and foam as the pressure decreases. By forming the froth under pressure, its speed of passage out of the frother into the shearer is substantially slower. This enables the froth to drain before it leaves the frother and accordingly reduces the dilution of the latex when the froth is mixed with it. Finally by processing the soap froth and foam while their volume is smaller than it would be at atmospheric pres" sure, the tendency for breakdown of the cellular structure is substantially reduced. Expansion of the foam upon its leaving the apparatus, after processing is complete, gives the desired low density to the foam.

The present invention is important in the manufacture of molded latex foam mattresses, pillows and seat cushions, because it makes possible the production of such articles with the desired cushioning action, but with less latex therein than is in the latex foam cushions made by the prior practice. The saving in latex is due to the formation of a latex sponge having a highly uniform cell structure and accordingly the absence of the latex crumb structure and liber which is frequently present in the latex foam articles made by the prior methods. Furthermore, when molded articles are constructed of latex foam prepared in accordance with the present invention, the increased strength of the foam makes possible the removal of the hot, freshly molded articles from the mold with much less damage due to tearing than heretofore.

The present invention is also important in manufacturing latex foam at stock or sheet material of various thicknesses, which is used to make upholstery stock pads, powder puffs and various articles used for cosmetic purposes. This is because the highly uniform cell structure of the foam gives it added strength. Furthermore when the sheet stock is split into thinner sheets, as is frequently done, uniform cell structure increases the value of the split sheets.

Today there is a large demand for highly uniform latex foam. By avoiding an uneven cellular structure and the formation of objectionable crumb or ber in the latex, it may be readily seen that the present invention enables the preparation of this more desirable type product.

The principal apparatus used in carrying lout the present method comprises: (l) a closed frother in which jets of air are forced through a soap solution to form the soap froth, (2) a Shearer in which the size of the bubbles of the soap froth is reduced by a shearing action, and (3) a mixer in which the light weight soap froth and relatively heavy latex are brought together and intimately commingled to form latex foam.

The above and other features of the present invention will be further understood from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings which illustrate good practical constructions for carrying out the present method.

, In the drawings,

Fig. l is a vertical sectional view of apparatus for carrying out the present method,

Fig. 2 on a larger scale is a vertical sectional view through the froth shearing mechanism and latex distributing cup shown in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a small piece of sponge rubber having the highly uniform cells secured by the present invention; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional perspective view of a modified construction for thoroughly intermixing the latex and soap froth.

Referring first to Fig. l of the drawing in which the parts are shown more or less schematically, the principal portion of the apparatus is supported by the upright posts 10 which rest upon the floor or other supporting surface 11. These uprights are connected by the transverse braces 12. This structure serves to support a closed receptacle 13 having a cylindrical body which is closed at the lower end by a floor 14, and at the upper end by the rounded dome 15.

Closed frother This receptacle 13 forms a closed frother and has provided the second oor 16, in spaced relation to the oor 14, so as to form an air chamber between these floors. The oor 16 is provided with a large number of hollow needles 17 that preferably project upwardly a short distance from the floor as shown, and are spaced about 1/2 inch apart. The outside diameter of these needles is important as it controls the size of the bubbles. This outside diameter may vary from about .007 to .02". The inside bore of the needles is less important and need not be more than about .008 in diameter. The action of these needles is such that when a frothing liquid, such as a soap solution, is deposited upon the floor 16 to a height above the level of the top of the needles, by means to be described, air or other gas, which is forced into the space between the oors 14 and 16, will pass upwardly through the needles 17 and through the soap solution upon the oor 16. This produces a soap froth F, that is highly uniform as to bubble size in sufficient quantity to fill the interior of the rcceptacle 13. This soap froth escapes from the receptacle 13, in the construction shown, through a central downwardly extending pipe or passage 18 that passes through the floors 14 and 16. The upper end of this pipe terminates a short distance below the dome 15. While the size of the bubbles formed in the receptacle 13 will depend upon the size of the needles 17, it will depend also on the pressure in this receptacle. The density of the froth should be less than .01 and preferably below .O05 gram per centimeter.

An important feature of the present invention, as above pointed out, resides in the closed receptacle 13 and means for supplying a metered quantity of the materials used to form the soap froth to the interior of this receptacle. In the construction shown, a soap solution contained in a tank 19 is supplied to the receptacle 13 through the pipes 20 and 21, the latter of which delivers the soap solution into the receptacle above the Hoor 16. In order to supply a metered or measured quantity of this soap solution to the receptacle 13, a metering pump 22 of well known construction, and preferably a gear metering pump, is employed. At the same time, air or other gas such as nitrogen in a metered stream is supplied to the chamber between the iioors 14 and 16 by the pipe 23 leading from the intake head 24 to a metering pump 25 and by the pipe 26 leading from this pump to the chamber below the hollow needles 17. As a result of this construction, the air supplied by the needles 17 passes upwardly through the soap solution to form a soap froth F.

This soap froth is preferably subjected, in the receptacle 13, to a greater than atmospheric pressure, for example an added pressure of from 5 to l0 pounds. This will cause the froth F to pass downwardly within the pipe 18, in a continuous stream as indicated by arrows. As the froth rises in the receptacle 13the excess soap solution can drain therefrom to the floor 16.

Shearer` The soap froth i s usedto impart the desired cellular formation tothe latex toform latex foam, but before the latex is brought into cont-act with this soap froth, the froth preferably is subjected to a shearing operation to reduce the size of the soap bubbles. This shearing mechanism may be variously constructed, land as shown in Figs. l and 2 ofthe drawings is, mounted in a casing 217 attached to the lower. oorld. The lower end.' of the pipe i8 leads; to this casing. Within' the casing 27 are provided a number of concentric circular bands comprising rotating; hands 2,8, and Vfixed. bands` positioned so that the rotating bauds. rotate between the fixed bands. The xed bands comprise an upper set 31 which extend downwardly from the. floor14" and a lower set 29 which extend upwardly from, a licor 30 of the container 2,7. The rotating bands 28, are secured to aY rotor or disc 32 so that someA of these. bands extend upwardly from` the rotor and others extend. downwardly from the rotorF as will be apparent, from Fig. 2. The clearance space between the fixed, and, rotating bands is pieten ably about l/s.` All of the-bands 21S, 29, and-3.1 are provided with the apertures 3 3 throughv which the soap froth may pass as indicated by the arrows inl Fig. 2.. Sor-ne of the soapv froth may pass. around the edges of the fixed andV rotating bands, but most` of the froth passes through the holes 33. The froth enters the Shearer from the pipe i8 and passes outwardly around the outer edge of the rotor 32 and then inwardly below the rotor as shown. Y

The rotor 32 in the construction shown.A is.` rigidly secured to the lower endl of a hollow shaft 3 4.V which extends upwardly through the pipe i8. and through aboaring in the top of the dome l to supporting and driving mechanisms. This hollow shaft is supported by the bearing 35 and gear 36 and is driven by this. gearwhich meshes with a pinion 37. This pinion-.is driven at the desired speed by the variable speed driving mechanism within the casing 3S. The, size ofthe, bubblesforrning the soap froth can be reduced as desired by controlling the speed oftherotor 32. If a.c oar,se froth is desired, this, rotor should. be4 turned slowly andA if a iinefroth is, desired, the rotor` should be., rotated` moreA rapidly. For a soap froth having a density. of about, .005 a, linear speed not in excess of 300 feet per minute, may be employed without injuring the, foam structure.

While a shearing mechanism such as. just described is usually desirable, it is not necessary in all4 cases, for if aV coarse cell structure is` desired thel shearing. stepmay be omitted. In place of thev shearing mechanism herein shown, the soapA froth may be formed and; sheared in the same receptacle by usinga construction substantially the same as that shown in. my Patent No. 2,335,339, provided the soap solution is supplied to the hollow needles orair jets,` and the receptacle is closed so that an above atmospheric pressure, may be built up therein.

It is essential in carrying out the present invention that the soap froth, whether coarse or fine, have intimately mixed therewith a, rubber latex compound so as to form the desired latex foam. A, good practical form of apparatus for intimately intermixing the liquid latex with the soapV froth will now be described.

Mixer The density of the soap froth will decrease as it progresses through theA apparatus because the back pressure decreases andpermitsl the soap bubbles to expand. The density of they soapfroth upon reaching the mixing area may be, for example, about .005 gram per cubicinch. The density of'the liquid latex as it enters the mixing area is about lfd. 2 This very great difference in the density of the two materials makes it diicult to mix them thoroughly without crushing the soap froth. One highly desirable construction for intimately mixing the latex compound' with a flowing stream of soap froth is shown in Figs. l and 2 of the drawing and'. will now be described; A supply of natural or synthetic latex containing the usual Sulphur and other compounding materials is conhnedl within-a container 39- which is connected by a pipe 4t? to a metering pump 4i, which pump has leading therefrom the pipe 42 adapted to supply the latex to the stream of soap froth. The casing 27 in which the shearing mechanism is housed hasy extending downwardly from the lower wall thereof a pipe 43, and within this pipe the latex distributing cup 44 is supported in a manner which` enables it to rotate. This cup has the outwardly flaring sidewalls shown, and it is concentrically secu-red to a driving shaft 45 which extends upwardly through the hollow shaft 34 and is supported from the. upper end portion of the machine by a bearing 46 mounted on a support 47 and a gear 48 which is driven by a pinion 49. The pinion 49 is driven at the desired speed, by a variable speed mechanism mounted in the casing 5 0..

The latex feeclA pipe 42 extends inwardly through a hole inthe side Wall of the pipe 43 and into position to deliver its stream of latex into the cup 44 as best shown in Fig. 2., It, is` important to add a gelling agent to the latexA at, aboutl the time it contacts the soap froth. This is done in the construction shown by providing a tank 51 containing a gelling agent. ThisV tank is connected by apipe 52 to a metering pump 53 which pump has leading therefrom a, pipe 54 that, communicates with the latex eedpipe 42 so as. to. inject a, metered amount of the gelling agent into the latex stream with a turbulent action thereby c ausingthe, gelling agent to be mixed thoroughly with the latex before the latex enters the cup 44.

Instead ofsupplying the. gelling agent to the latex stream, in themanner justv described, the pipe 54 may discharge directly into the, cup 44.. It is also possible to. addv the gelling agent. tothe soap solution so as to introduce it into. the latex with the soap froth. The density of, the latex foam is determined by the density of the soap froth, and by the proportion of latex and soap froth mixed together.

The size of the cup 44 relative to the bore of the pipe 43 is important since the-cup. serves to reduce the size of the passage through which the soap froth is forced and wherein the. soap froth. is intimately com'- mingledl with the latex.Y During mixing, the latex is thrown outwardly, by the centrifugal force o-f the'rotating cup, over the upper edge of the cup to contact the stream 0f froth moving downwardly along the inner walls of the pipe 43, as shownin Fig. 2. The size of the annular passage provided between the outer periphery of thecup 44 and inner wall of. the pipe 43 may vary from about 1/32 ofV an inch in` Widthto 1A of an inch, depending upon the strength and size of the bubbles forming the froth passing through this annular passage; The preferred size of thispassage isbetween l/m and 1A; of an inch.

The mixing cup 44 should be so designed that during operation it willalways contain a fresh supply of latex and never hold a portion of latex long enough for it to coagulate therein. The continued flow of latex from the-rotating4 cup may be best insured by using a shallow cuphavingtapered'walls as illustrated in Figures l and 2. In actualpractice,v using a cup having a 41/2 inch outer diameter, it was possible to. produce two cubic feet of latex foamper minute.

It is important that the latex be mixed uniformly through the. soapfroth, streamV in order that a uniform latex foam will beV produced. The mixing technique justdescribed helps toY secure this uniform mixture but the cup shouldV not bev rotated at a speed that will cause the froth, to. break downz. Usually 600 linear feetr per minute is about the highest speed at which the outer edge of the cup shouldrotate, as at..higher speeds the mixing action becomes too turbulent and causes the soap froth to break down. The mixing of the materials is further secured, in accordance with the present invention, by mounting on the lower portion of the revolving shaft 45 the feed screw 55 which extends downwardly a substantial distance within the pipe 43 as shown. This feed screw helps to mix the latex with the froth so that the latex will cover the soap bubbles and form the desired latex foam.

The feed screw serves also to help feed this foam downwardly within the pipe 43 through a restricted opening at its lower end and into a mold such as shown in Fig. l. This mold, which consists of the lower molding section 56 and upper molding section 57, is of usual construction and may have the inwardly projecting cores 58. The latex foam is fed to this mold through a flexible pipe 59, one end of which is secured to a connector 60 attached to the lower end of the pipe 43. The other end of the pipe 59 has secured thereto a nozzle 61 adapted to be inserted in a hole in the upper mold section 57 so that the latex foam may be forced under pressure into all portions of the mold to completely lill the mold. The air vents 58 are provided in the mold sections so that the air may escape from the mold cavity while it is being filled with foam.

It is desired to point out that the construction and arrangement of receptacle 13 and pipe 43 are such that the latex is delivered into the stream of soap froth so that it will not enter the receptacle 13. Attention is called to this because if latex is permitted to enter the receptacle i3 or the Shearer in the receptacle 27 it would become deposited on the apparatus therein and interfere with the proper operation of such apparatus.

When the method of the present invention is employed, the gelling agent used preferably is of sultiicient concentration to operate very rapidly and cause the latex foam to set or gel quickly after it enters the mold, since the quicker the foam sets the less change there Will be in the latex bubbles forming the foam. By employing the construction shown in the drawing, only a few seconds need elapse from the time the gelling agent is mixed with the latex until the latex foam is formed and forced into the mold cavity.

By employing the driving means shown in the drawings, in which one shaft is provided to rotate the cup 44 and feed screw 55, and another and independent shaft 34 is employed to rotate the Shearer, the speed of one may be varied Without changing the speed of the other. lt is usually desirable to rotate the cup and feed screw faster than the shearer.

The four metering pumps 22, 25, 41 and 53 are all shown as driven from a power shaft 62 which is rotated at the desired speed by a variable speed mechanism within the housing 63. Each pump may be driven at the desired speed by employing the proper ratio between the driving gear 64 and driven gear 65. This makes possible the supplying, as a continuous stream, of any desired metered quantity of soap solution, air, latex and gelling agent to produce a soap froth of the proper density, and a latex foam of the desired density and cell size. By mixing these materials in a closed air-tight receptacle an accurate control can be maintained of the liquids and gases that affect the inal product. Furthermore, by building up a pressure within the receptacle 13 to secure a force feed, a rapid movement of the stream of soap froth out of this receptacle is secured and the latex foam is quickly formed and forced into the mold to produce the desired sponge article.

After the mold 56, 57 has been tilled it may be moved into a vulcanizer to vulcanize the latex foam as heretofore, and thereby produce a finished latex sponge pillow or other article having the uniform cell structure shown in Fig. 3 where the small circles C indicate the cell structure. The pressure maintained in the closed receptacle 13 iS Vin Fig. 4.

determined largely by the back pressure built up as the soap froth F passes through the Shearer, and is then mixed with the latex and is finally discharged through the flexible-pipe 59. This back pressure not only causes the froth F to flow through the apparatus in a uniform stream but serves also to influence the density of the soap froth, and accordingly the density of the final sponge product.

In some cases the revolving cup 44 alone may give suflicient mixing, but usually an additional mixing action is desired, such as produced by the feed screw 55 shown in Figs. l and 2, or by the dilierent form of mixer shown In this modified construction a power shaft such as 45 has secured thereto below the cup 44 a number of spaced disks 66. There are also provided between the disks 66 the oppositely extending blades or paddles 67 that tend to scrape the latex foam from the inner walls of the tube 43. At the lower end of the shaft 45 is provided a spider 68 that is rigidly mounted in the tube 43 and loosely embraces the shaft 45. T o the lower end of the tube 43 is secured the connector 69. The arrangement is such that the latex foam is repeatedly squeezed to a thin stream as it moves downwardly past one disk 66 after another. This brings the latex into intimate contact with the soap froth without crushing the froth.

The apparatus herein described may be operated at room temperature.

One suitable latex compound that may be used in carrying out the present invention is the following, the parts being by weight.

The usual vulcanizing ingredients and antioxidants are used in the latex. The stabilizer (Trimene Base) is added to the latex to give better control of the setting or gelling time but is not essential.

A gelling agent is essential and any of the well known latex gelling agents may be used. Suitable gelling agents are sodium or potassium silicofluoride. These may be added to the latex through the pipe 54 of the drawing, or they may be mixed with the frothing solution and thereby mixed with the soap froth and latex.

Any of the common good frothing soaps may be used in this apparatus, such as, potassium oleate, sodium oleate, the stearates etc. A .5% to 3% concentrated aqueous solution of the soap is most satisfactory. Gases other than air may be used to form the soap froth provided they are comparatively unreactive with the latex.

It will be seen from the foregoing that the hollow needles 17 produce soap bubbles that are highly uniform as to size, and that the shearer serves to reduce the diameter of the bubbles to produce uniform bubbles of smaller size. It will also be understood that the density of the soap froth is controlled largely by the back pressure in the apparatus. This pressure will diminish gradually through the apparatus so that the bubbles will expand a substantial amount while passing through the several stages of the process. Such expansion may reduce the density of the bubbles as much as one-half. This low density froth makes possible the formation of a low density latex foam. This low density and uniform latex `foam makes possible a substantial saving in the amount of latex required to produce a cushion or other latex rubber article of a desired resiliency.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A method of continuously producing latex foam in a continuous stream for the production of a molded article comprising the steps of passing in a closed receptacle a metered stream of air at a controlled uniform rate and under suicient pressure through a frothing soap solution to produce a froth stream under pressure, feeding said froth stream While under and driven by said pressure through a shearing region whereby the resultant froth consists essentially of uniform sized bubbles, driving said sheared froth by said pressure through a restricted discharge passageway, said passageway being such that said froth stream`is of a hollow columnar shape, centrifugally projecting a metered stream of latex within the hollow column at a controlled uniform rate, and thoroughly commingling said streams to uniformly and homogeneously intermix the said latex and froth as the stream passes to the point of delivery.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein a gelling agent is included in the latex being centrifugally projected.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said pressure in said closed receptacle is 5 to 15 pounds per square inch above 10 atmospheric and at atmospheric pressure at said point of delivery of said latex foam.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said pressure in said closed receptacle is above atmospheric and at a gradient from the receptacle to said point of delivery.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said soap is selected from the group consisting of potassium oleate and sodium oleate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNTED STATES PATENTS 

1. A METHOD OF CONTINUOUSLY PRODUCING LATEX FOAM IN A CONTINUOUS STREAM FOR THE PRODUCTION OF A MOLDED ARTICLE COMPRISING THE STEPS OF PASSING IN A CLOSED RECEPTACLE A METERED STREAM OF AIR AT A CONTROLLED UNIFORM RATE AND UNDER SUFFICIENT PRESSURE THROUGH A FROTHING SOAP SOLUTION TO PRODUCE A FROTH STREAM UNDER PRESSURE, FEEDING SAID FROTH STREAM WHILE UNDER AND DRIVEN BY SAID PRESSURE THROUGH A SHEARING REGION WHEREBY THE RESULTANT FROTH CONSISTS ESSENTIALLY OF UNIFORM SIZED BUBBLES, DRIVING SAID SHEARED FROTH BY SAID PRESSURE THROUGH A RESTRICTED DISCHARGE PASSAGEWAY, SAID PASSAGEWAY BEING SUCH THAT SAID FROTH STREAM IS OF A HOLLOW COLUMNAR SHAPE, CENTRIFUGALLY PROJECTING A METERED STREAM OF LATEX WITHIN THE HOLLOW COLUMN AT A CONTROLLED UNIFORM RATE, AND THOROUGHLY COMMINGLING SAID STREAMS TO UNIFORMLY AND HOMOGENEOUSLY INTERMIX THE SAID LATEX AND FROTH AS THE STREAM PASSES TO THE POINT OF DELIVERY. 